It’s Spice, Girls (And Boys)!

But what are these culinary ingredients that have become a quintessential identifier of Indian food? Spices are the dried part of plants, usually not the leaves, which are used as flavouring or seasoning while cooking. While they may seldom form the main ingredient of a dish, their presence throughout Indian cuisine is undeniable.

The Secret of Spice

Spice has been the secret to delectable Indian cuisine for centuries. You can find them in several forms be it as berries or bark, dried seeds or rhizomes, or flowers. Usually combined together in varying proportions, they make up an array of masalas used in different dishes. There is no singular way to use spices. They can be used in various forms- as Coarse Ground spices, finely ground spices, or whole spices, and can be chopped, roasted, sautéed or fried. The aromatic mix of these wonderful ingredients in their various forms, has imparted to Indian cuisine its distinctive taste and appeal.

Tasty and Healthy

Spices are not merely heralded for their role in flavour, they also hold several health benefits, and were used to cure ailments too. Those like ginger, cardamom, and clove hold within them a myriad of properties that have medicinal effects. Tumeric, or haldi, for example has been the go-to cure for most grandmothers. It is known for its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties. And it is used in a wide array of dishes across the Indian subcontinent. It finds itself for example, in a spice mixture for keema masala along with bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and chilli powder.

And you can gain more than just physical health benefits from Indian spices. They are also used to boost mental health! Several spices have been studied for their anti-oxidant properties and their benefit in treating depression. Saffron, nutmeg, and cardamom are but a few examples of spices that have an effect on mental health. A spotlight can be cast on chillies in this regard, for their mood enhancing properties! When you eat chillies, a particular pain receptor is triggered, which signals the brain to produce endorphins. The production of endorphins in turn, stimulates the release of dopamine. Dopamine acts as a mood enhancer, and helps in the alleviation of mental states associated with depression. This is the principle based on which most anti-depressants work, and here we have found the same, naturally occurring in a widely used popular spice!

Let us not underestimate the value of spice. Something that is so has so many benefits to the body and mind, and also has the power to make those curries and gravies taste gorgeously alluring, cannot be overlooked. So, the next time you make your favourite paneer butter masala or butter chicken, remember that there is always a bucket load of flavour and a wealth of health, combined together with a whole lot of tender loving care that goes into your favourite spiced Indian dishes.